EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT SUMMARY MANAGEMENT RECORD FORM Name of LEC/Business Unit Name/designation of person(s) responsible for managing/ conducting this process Strategy Janetta Chapman Name of Policy / Function / Service / Strategy / Action Plan / Equality Matters in Business Programme / Project etc. Is it (*delete as applicable) *New Is the policy contracted out or delivered under a service-level agreement? (*delete as applicable) If yes, who delivers this policy for your organisation? Is responsibility for delivery shared with others? (*delete as applicable) If yes, who are your partners? *No * Partners are made up of ACAS and Business Gateway Assessed relevance of the policy (state if it is high, medium or low for each) Race Equality (*delete as applicable) Medium Disability Equality (*delete as applicable) High Sex/Gender Equality (*delete as applicable) Medium Other** (specify) Timescale for Impact Assessment? Complete Timescale for Consultation? N/A Start Date Actually Completed
1. Identify ALL the Aims of the Policy/Function (consider these questions to prompt answers) 1. What is the purpose of the policy? (consider explicit and implicit aims) 2. Who does the policy affect? 3. Who does the policy benefit directly? (e.g. employees/service users; equality groups, other stakeholders) 4. What results/outcomes are intended? 5. Is there any risk associated with the policy that any legal requirements will fail to be met? (e.g. General or Specific Equality Duties, Health and Safety) 1. The aim of this project is to enhance the advice and support given to Scottish based SMEs on the business benefits of good practice on equality and diversity. This will take the form of access to a one-stop shop for signposting SMEs to the appropriate service. There is also the potential for SMEs to access new markets and increase awareness of equality and diversity opportunities. Implicitly, this is about creating the demand to increase the under represented workforce and offer a better tailored diverse service to SMEs. The project has an equality focus and as such will only require a light touch impact assessment. This assessment has been carried out jointly between the Scottish Executive, HIE and SE. 2. This project affects, current and potential employees, Business Advisors and stakeholders 3. SMEs and under represented groups. 4. Potential outcomes are listed in Appendix 5 of the Business Benefits of Diversity Approval Paper. Results will be drawn from the evaluation which will take place once the project has been running for a period of eighteen months. 5. There are no risks associated with the policy in relation to legal requirements.
2. Consider the Evidence (data and information) - (consider these questions to prompt answers) 1. What information or data would it be useful to have? What data (quantitative and qualitative) is available? (in-house/external) How reliable/valid/up-to-date is it? 2. What information is available? 3. What does the data/information tell you about Different needs? Different experiences? Different access to services, information or opportunities? Different impacts/different outcomes? 4. Are there any gaps that you should fill now/later by further evidence gathering/commissioning or by secondary analysis of existing data? 5. Are there any experts or stakeholders you should consult now? Have you consulted any experts already? What were their views? 1. Both quantitative and qualitative evidence would be useful, although there does not appear to be much in the way of this. e.g., there is evidence on the benefits of flexible working to individuals, but less data on the benefits to businesses. Anecdotal and intuitive evidence indicates that a diverse business is more likely to be successful than a non-diverse business. 2. There are several case studies available, examples can be found in Appendix 1 in the Approval Paper. The report also highlights market failures of SMEs not adapting Equal Opportunity for business success. 3. An evaluation of the project will provide concise data/information and will show evidence of business performance outcome. As for solid business benefits, these will be defined through the explicit outcome of the project. 4. No commissioning is considered necessary. Secondary analysis of current information may be necessary once the project is in place. This will strengthen the quantitative evidence of the business benefits of diversity. 5. In-depth discussions have already taken place with stakeholders and experts who totally support the project.
3. Assess the likely impact on different groups - (consider these questions to prompt answers) 1. Is the impact - The same or different? - Neutral in relation to equality? - Beneficial? - Adverse? Is this significant? 2. How do you know this? 3. If it is adverse, - Does this amount to unlawful discrimination? See glossary. - Is it intended to redress past disadvantage or promote equality? (You may need to take legal advice this.) 4. How does this function/policy area affect different groups and sections of those groups (e.g. young/disabled people)? 5. In what areas does it have an impact? E.g. health, lifestyle, work or family life, physical conditions, access to information, experience of services. Race: including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, (e.g. different communities including Gypsy/Travellers, asylum seekers and refugees, new migrants)
Disability: mental, physical, sensory, learning difficulties, visible/invisible, progressive Sex & Gender: Men, women, transgendered people, marital status, civil partnership status Sexual Orientation: lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual Project impact will be neutral in relation to equality
Religion or Belief e.g. different faiths, beliefs, customs, humanist or atheist beliefs Project impact will be neutral in relation to equality Age: e.g. children, young people, older people Involvement in Criminal Justice System (e.g. community service, children s panel, sentencing, family of offender)) Other (e.g. mental health, social origins, poverty, literacy, language) N/A
4. Consider alternatives (what to do if you find adverse impact) - (consider these questions to prompt answers) 1. How can you change your proposal in a way that is proportionate, and will Remove unlawful discrimination? Reduce any adverse impact? Advance/promote equality? Increase good community relations? 2. If there are none, can the function/policy still be justified? (If you said there was direct discrimination, the policy cannot be justified. You should have a strong case to justify continuing a policy which has adverse effects. You may need to take legal advice on this.) 3. Can the aims be met in some other way? What can you do now/later? 4. What are you recommending? Currently this Equality project does not need to be altered in any way. However, there may be further discussions carried out by SE s Race and Disability Advisory Groups and any recommendations/amendments from those discussions will be included. Testing the project will prove the worth of the process and is the best way to go forward.
5. Consult formally (relevant stakeholders) - (consider these questions to prompt answers) 1. What are the views of the people who are likely to be affected or who have an interest about Whether you have identified the right issues? Whether you have proposed suitable modifications? Whether your proposals will meet their needs? 2. How will you consult? 3. Whom do you need to get views from?(internally/externally) 4. What methods will you use? (consider hard to reach groups) 5. What formats will you use for communicating with different groups? 6. How long will you give people to respond? We have taken the view that we will discuss all of these issues through our own Project Advisory Group which includes the EOC, CRE, DRC, the Federation of Small Business, Chamber of Commerce and the Fresh Talent initiative. Observations will also be considered from the Business Able pilot, an SE project aimed at entrepreneurs.
6. Decide whether to adopt this policy - (consider these questions to prompt answers) 1. What were your findings from the consultation? 2. Taking into account all of the data, information, potential impact issues and consultation feedback, what will you recommend? Reject the policy Pilot the policy or proposed changes (Test the effects of proposals) Modify the policy (Say how your changes will deal with adverse impacts) (consider if there are any new adverse impacts for any equality group) Adopt the policy as proposed. (You should justify this where you identified adverse impact, or where you are not incorporating feedback from your consultations. Consider legal advice where you identified unlawful discrimination.) 3. Who makes the decision? This is a pilot project that feeds into the business. The Scottish Executive has decided that this project should be adopted, given the current market failure relating to SMEs/Equal Opportunities. Scottish Enterprise and Highlands & Islands Enterprise have also adopted the project as it is seen as pivotal in mainstreaming equalities into our Business Development services.
7. Make Monitoring (and review) Arrangements - (consider these questions to prompt answers) 1. How will you know what the actual effect of the function/policy is? 2. In what ways will you monitor? e.g. continuously or irregularly, quantitative methods such as surveys, qualitative methods such as interviews 3. How often will monitoring information be analysed (and published)? 4. When will you review the policy taking into account any monitoring information? 1. An evaluation of the project will be carried out at the end of an eighteen-month period. There should be hard evidence showing business growth. 2. Monitoring will be done through CRM during the pilot and surveys carried out with SMEs on the impact of the project on businesses. We will also review data to monitor any adverse affect on under represented groups. 3. The initial evaluation will provide the base for any future analysis should the project continue, and the project team will determine how regular monitoring should be. 4. A final review of the project will take place at the end of the two-year pilot, and this will be included in the final report.
8. Publish Assessment Results - (consider these questions to prompt answers) 1. What are your arrangements for providing feedback to those involved in the process? 2. How will you ensure the wider public knows the outcomes of your impact assessment, consultation and monitoring? Will this be a full or summary report? 3. How will you ensure access to the full impact assessment report? 4. How can you use publishing to promote equality? 5. Your published report should include What you did The evidence/information you took into account and the weighting you gave it (including consultation outcomes). Your conclusions at each stage of the process ((including aims, evidence, consultation, modifications) Any changes you are proposing The reasons for your decisions Any recommendations about putting the policy into practice including suggestions for monitoring/training. 1. The assessment will be published on the Scottish Executive, Scottish Enterprise and Highland & Islands Enterprise internal and external websites. 2. We have a public sector duty to publish our Equality Impact Assessments. 3. The assessment will be made public and held in the public domain, to be made available under the Freedom of Information Act 2005.